‘Extra hands’ or the ‘icing on the cake’? The boundaries of the volunteer role in formal care settings in England

Eleanor K Johnson, Ailsa M Cameron, Paul B Willis, Liz E Lloyd, Randall C Smith

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)
128 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The adult social care sector in England has been encouraged to increase the role of volunteers in service delivery. To understand the volunteer role in care delivery and its impact upon paid care work, we undertook 94 qualitative interviews in seven care settings for older people in England. Whilst the boundaries between care worker and volunteer were clearly established in some organisations, they were more indistinguishable in others. We discuss how both clear and murky boundary making, especially regarding ‘emotional’ and ‘bodily’ aspects of care, can contribute towards paid care work’s invisibility, lack of recognition and poor remuneration.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)425–440
JournalInternational Journal of Care and Caring
Volume7
Issue number3
Early online date6 Sept 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 6 Sept 2022

Keywords

  • Paid care work; older people; Social care; volunteering

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